Early Wimbledon upset for No1 seed

Defending Wimbledon champion and number one seed Lleyton Hewitt crashed out of the tournament at the hands of a little-known Croatian.

The major upset on day one of the competition was provided by Ivo Karlovic, an unseeded 6ft 10ins tall 24-year-old who is currently ranked 203rd in the world.

Australian Hewitt is the first defending male champion to lose in the first round since Manuel Santana in 1967.

Off the courts, security at Wimbledon was stepped up amid concerns over player safety after police chiefs revealed they had received new intelligence about suspected stalkers.

As the world's most famous tennis tournament got under way, despite a heavy downpour early on, thousands of fans arriving at SW19 were getting used to the latest measures introduced by the All England Club.

Chief Superintendent Des Stout, in charge of the police operation, said his officers were "mindful" of the threat posed by stalkers and would act on the fresh information accordingly.

Referring to an incident last year, in which a German man obsessed with Serena Williams was arrested at the championships, he said: "He was identified early on during the tournament and we took action to make sure it didn't become a further threat and the same arrangements will be in place this year.

"We have intelligence around a number of individuals who are infatuated with players."

He added: "We will be mindful of anybody we are made aware of through our intelligence process. We are basing our assumptions on new intelligence but we are also wise enough to learn from last year."

Mr Stout would not reveal how many stalkers had been identified or which players were the focus of their obsession. Williams, the defending Wimbledon champion, was stalked by German Albrecht Strohmeyer, a 34-year-old from an affluent Frankfurt family, during the championships last year.